Dodge County 4-H Blast

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1. 4-H Calendar
2. National 4-H Week
3. Achievement Celebration
4. 4-H & Casey's Promotion
5. 4-H @ Vala's
6. 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Update Session
7. Turn the Card Livestock Judging
8. PASE
9. Ambassadors
10. 4-H Council

*Items in BOLD are new items*

*LOCAL (DODGE COUNTY) EVENTS IN BOLD

September 30-October 31 - 4-H & Casey's Promotion

October 4-10 - National 4-H Week

❗October 5 - Go Green & Show Your 4-H Spirit!!!❗

October 8 - Thankful Thursday (Share who you are thankful for!)

October 17 - 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor UPDATE Session @ Ashland Gun Club, 9am-12pm

• Register Deadline: October 7

❗October 30 - Achievement Celebration Applications & Scholarships DEADLINE❗

November 15 - Achievement Celebration, 5:00pm

December 16 - Ambassador Fulfillment of Duties Forms DUE @ 4:30pm

Nebraska 4-H is excited to join youth, volunteers, and professionals from across the country to celebrate the 2026 National 4-H Week, to be observed the week of October 4-10, 2026!

The purpose of National 4-H Week is to rally, inspire and connect 6 million 4-H’ers, 3,500 educators, 500,000 volunteers and 35 million alumni. During National 4-H Week in Nebraska, we will celebrate and amplify the 4-H mission: preparing youth to be Beyond Ready for life and career.

This year, Nebraska 4-H will join 4-H supporters across the country to rally around two celebratory days:

• Day 1: Go Green — Monday, October 5, 2026

  On Monday of National 4-H Week, Go GREEN and show your 4-H State spirit! A simple, cohesive way for youth, professionals, volunteers, alumni and supporters across the country to celebrate their 4-H programs being Beyond Ready. Wear a green hat, clothing, face paint — anything green goes. Let’s paint the nation GREEN on Monday, October 5th! And share your ‘Go Green’ moment on social and tag National 4-H, Nebraska 4-H, and use #4HBeyondReady #National4HWeek.

  Special Nebraska Notes:

• The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs will be illuminated green in celebration of ‘Go Green’ Day on October 5. If you have a local landmark, courthouse, or other location that can illuminate green, a 'Go Green' Illumination Request messaging template can be found in the National 4-H Week toolkit at https://go.unl.edu/2026-4hmarketingtoolkits to assist with making the request.

• Day 2: Thankful Thursday — Thursday, October 8, 2026

  On Thursday of National 4-H Week, help us shine a light on all the mentors, educators, and volunteers who are making positive impact on young people’s lives in 4-H. Share who you’re thankful for and celebrate how they are making a difference on Thursday, October 8! Share your ’Thankful’ story on social, tag others in your 4-H community, tag National 4-H, and use #4HBeyondReady #National4HWeek.

🎉 2026 Dodge County 4-H Achievement Celebration

The time is near! We’re excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our Dodge County 4-H members at the 2026 Dodge County 4-H Achievement Celebration!

📅 November 15, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM
📍 North Bend Auditorium

Theme: America's 250th

To RSVP --> https://go.unl.edu/achievementcelebration

ALL applications are due by October 30, 2026!

🏆Achievement Applications

The 2026 4-H Annual Achievement Applications can be found here.

🍂Fall Scholarships

Fall 2026 Scholarships that are required to be submitted with Achievement Applications can be found here.

💎 Diamond Clover Program

The Diamond Clover Program is designed to encourage 4-H youth to participate in a variety of projects and activities while developing valuable skills that will prepare them for success in the future.

Learn more about the Diamond Clover Program and find the application to apply here.

💚 Nebraska 4-H Gives Back

The Nebraska 4-H Gives Back Program provides an opportunity for an individual 4-H member or a team of 4-H'ers to make a meaningful contribution to their community.

This award recognizes the positive impact 4-H youth make in their communities while celebrating the spirit of service-learning, an important part of the 4-H experience.

Find more information about the Nebraska 4-H Gives Back Program and how to apply here.

We can’t wait to celebrate all of the hard work, growth, leadership, and accomplishments of our Dodge County 4-H members! 🎉🍀

From September 30 – October 31, 2026, Casey’s and 4-H are joining forces to strengthen the communities they call home. With more than 2,900 stores across the Midwest and South, and more than 2.5 million active 4-H’ers in those areas, this partnership is helping more young people become Beyond Ready to lead and give back – locally and beyond.

You can help support 4-H at Casey’s in two easy ways:

• September 30 - October 11: round up your in-store purchase to donate to 4-H.
• September 30 – October 31: add a donation in any order made online or in the Casey’s app.

Every donation benefits local 4-H programs. The NE 4-H Foundation received the revenue dollars from national cause marketing promotions organized by National 4-H Council. The funding is used for a variety of statewide opportunities that benefit 4-H'ers from all NE counties.

The time has come to provide an update for all Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructors who received their training in 2020. Over the years there have been curriculum changes, updates, and additions, in addition to revisions in the Nebraska 4-H policies.

📆When: October 17th

Early Bird Registration Deadline: October 7th

• Early Bird Registration: $45 for the session
• Late Registration: $65.00
• Fee includes program materials and lunch for the Update session.
• Registration Fee must be paid for by October 12.

This Update Session is for adult or apprentice 4-H volunteer instructors who have previously attended a 4-H instructor training workshop in 2020. This is an update for existing instructors, NOT a training for new instructors. You MUST be a currently enrolled Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports volunteer leader in your county to attend.

Certifications are valid for 6 years. So, if your last certification in a specific discipline (i.e., shotgun) was in 2020, you will need to attend an update session of your choice in that specific discipline before the end of this year (2026) to maintain your active discipline certification status.

A Shotgun or Archery discipline update will be offered during the morning session. Check-in is at 8:30am and the program starts at 9am. Lunch is provided at noon.

Alexa Brodd - Chase Hartman - Brooke Wiese - Kelsey Bunn

These Ambassadors will advocate for Dodge County 4-H at local events and help mentor younger 4-H members, acting as role model in 4-H. Ambassadors develop their communication skills while promoting 4-H!

Youth Representatives:

Samantha Cummings - Kelsey Bunn - Lane Mehaffey - Vanessa Kriete - Kaylee Gregory - Graham Mueller

Adult Representatives:

Deb Gathman (District 1: Dodge/Scribner/Snyder) - Josh Gregory and Maria Kriete (District 2: Logan View) - Mindy Wiese (District 3: Fremont) - Rhet Mehaffey (District 4: North Bend) - Kylee Stanley - Becky Streff - Jeff Hartman - Tracy Kaiser - Michelle Cummings

The 4-H Council is the governing body of the 4-H program, helping to direct decisions in the program that effect all members and volunteers. Some adult members serve specific parts of the county. Other adults, plus all youth members, serve the county program at large. If you have issues, concerns, suggestions, or ideas, share them with a council member.

Mary Spath - Office Manager: mspath2@unl.edu

4-H

Kelly Schole - 4-H Extension Educator: kschole2@unl.edu

Shane Ahrens - 4-H Assistant: shane.ahrens@unl.edu

Macy Flesher - 4-H Administrative Assistant: mflesher3@unl.edu

Early Childhood

Lisa Poppe - Extension Educator: lpoppe2@unl.edu

Nutrition Education Program

Shelley Thayer - Assistant Extension Educator: mthayer6@unl.edu

Statewide Rural Health

Beth Nacke - Extension Educator: bnacke2@unl.edu

Water & Cropping Systems

Mailson Freire de Oliveira - Extension Educator: mfreiredeoliveira2@unl.edu

Horticulture

Ian Peterson - Extension Educator: ipeterson4@unl.edu

Email: dodge-county@unl.edu
Website: http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dodge/
Location: 1206 West 23rd Street, Fremont, NE, United States
Phone: 402.727.2775
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/362826330737240/?ref=bookmarks